English UsageComparison guide
Be Tired Of Doing vs. Too Tired To Do
Oxford distinguishes tired of doing, meaning that someone has had enough of an activity, from too tired + infinitive contexts, where tired describes insufficient energy or need for rest.
“Tired of doing” means fed up with an activity; “too tired to do” means lacking enough energy to do it. They express different meanings and use different structures.
Key details
Confusion Familyverb-complement
Rule Familyverb-complementation
Termstired of doing, too tired to do
Further guidance
Core difference
Use tired of + -ing for being fed up with an activity; use too tired + to-infinitive when tiredness prevents or limits an action.
Style Boundary
Do not collapse the emotional “fed up with” sense into the physical-energy construction.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- tired adjective — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford University Press · Preferred-dictionary evidence distinguishing tired of doing from too tired + infinitive contexts